Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2021 Nissan Altima, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Forward collision avoidance22
- Electrical system21
- Service brakes18
- Unknown or other12
- Steering7
- Engine6
- Suspension5
- Back over prevention4
- Latches/locks/linkages3
- Seats3
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 4 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 59 2021 Altima vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 39 people died inside them, and 5 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2021 Nissan Altima failed the safety check 1.02% of the time — 7% more often than the average 2021 passenger car (0.95%). Median odometer at inspection: 24,163 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 2 variants; 2 of 2 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 Nissan Altima 4 DR AWD | ★★★★★ | 9.2 % |
| 2021 Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD | ★★★★★ | 9.2 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Standard
- Lane departure warning
- Standard
- Best overall rating
- 5 / 5
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 8.0–8.2 L/100 km (about 29 mpg US), CO₂ 188–194 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altima AWD · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 9.0 | 6.7 | 8.0 |
| Altima AWD SR/Platinum · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 9.3 | 6.9 | 8.2 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
2 Transport Canada recalls for the 2021 Nissan Altima.
| 2023504 11 Sept 2023 | Visual System Issue: On certain vehicles, the rearview camera wiring harness could be damaged by movement and vibrations. If this happens, the rearview camera image may not… |
| 2021117 5 Mar 2021 | Steering Issue: On certain vehicles, the steering tie rod nut may not have been properly tightened. As a result, the tie rod could become loose and separate from the s… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Altima and 2020-2021 Sentra vehicles. Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Nissan Altima vehicles. The tie rod ball joint fastener was not tightened properly, which could result in the tie rod ball joint detaching from the steering knuckle.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Nissan told its dealers about the 2021 Nissan Altima: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11009068 | DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND OCS zero point reset cannot be performed, (continued on the next page) |
| 11006996 | FALSE ACTIVATION OF AEB OR FCW APPLIED VEHICLES: 2021-2022 Altima (L34) 2022-2023 Frontier (D41) 2020-2022 Sentra (B18) APPLIED DATES: Altima: All Frontier: All Sentra: Built on or before March 10, 2022 APPLIED SYSTEMS: Automatic Emergency Braking/Forward Collision Warning IF YOU CONFIRM The customer states they have experienced false activation and/or unexpected braking of the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) or Forward Collision Warning (FCW) system, AND There are no related DTCs stored. ACTION 1. Confirm the current ICC/ADAS 2 part number. 2. Reprogram the ICC/ADAS 2, if applicable. IMPORT |
| 11004972 | REAR AUTOMATIC BRAKING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND/OR DTC C1B56-04 AND/OR C1B56-97 STORED IN THE ADAS CONTROL UNIT This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11004971 | RAB WARNING LIGHT ON IN INSTRUMENT PANEL AND/OR DTC B2724-23 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11004969 | DTC C1A17-49 OR C2580-49 STORED IN LASER/RADAR This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11004962 | VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11004961 | CAN COMMUNICATION NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11004960 | CAN COMMUNICATION CODES DIAGNOSTIC TIPS AND GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11001650 | DIAGNOSING DOOR LOCK OPERATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11001208 | AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING WARNING LIGHT BLINKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11001201 | WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11001194 | REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11001191 | WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10251535 | SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR INFOTAINMENT ISSUES This bulletin is no longer active. To access infotainment software updates via the Infotainment Software Update Utility: Select SPECIALTY TOOLS, and then select Infotainment Software Updates on the left side of ASIST. Please discard previous versions of NTB23-018. |
| 10249914 | SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR INFOTAINMENT ISSUES This bulletin is no longer active. To access infotainment software updates via the Infotainment Software Update Utility: Select SPECIALTY TOOLS, and then select Infotainment Software Updates on the left side of ASIST. HINT: Initially, the Infotainment Software Update Utility will be available only on the CONSULT PC version of ASIST. The Utility will be added to ASIST WEB at a later date. Please discard previous versions of NTB23-018. |
| 10249898 | TELEMATICS SERVICE INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10248654 | TRANSFER ASSEMBLY SEAL REPLACEMENT FOR AWD FRONT DRIVE SHAFT REMOVAL This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10248650 | FLUID LEAK CAUSED BY TRANSFER ASSEMBLY RIGHT SIDE DRIVE SHAFT OIL SEAL This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10243708 | DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10242148 | SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR INFOTAINMENT ISSUES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10242141 | SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR INFOTAINMENT ISSUES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10240538 | HORN INOPERATIVE This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10239062 | SILICONE-BASED LUBRICANT OR GREASE CAN DAMAGE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS SERVICE INFORMATION Do not apply Silicone-based lubricants or grease to, or around, any interior electrical components. To avoid the risk of death or severe personal injury, do not directly spray Silicone-based lubricant or grease, or inadvertently overspray Silicone-based lubricant or grease onto any interior electrical components. These types of lubricants can be detrimental to the proper operation of electrical components. |
| 10239060 | 12 VOLT BATTERY TESTING FOR IN-SERVICE VEHICLES SERVICE INFORMATION The following Service Information lists NNA procedural recommendations for establishing good connections while performing 12V battery testing. These recommendations are expected to promote uniformity during the connection process, therefore reducing the number of incorrect Test with DCA and Replace results. HINT: If 12 volt batteries are allowed to discharge for a prolonged period of time, battery life may be drastically reduced. This condition may lead to premature battery replacement and customer dissatisfaction. |
| 10238341 | RAB WARNING LIGHT ON IN INSTRUMENT PANEL AND/OR DTC B2724-23 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Complete loss of motive power due to engine failure
Hertz/Vehicles Rented with Open Recalls
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation